Parish Council urges residents to report fly-tippers following introduction of charges at Waste Recycling Sites

Enderby Parish Council have heard how the decision by Leicestershire County Council to charge for disposal of some types of non-household waste at all its Recycling and Household Waste Sites may exacerbate the fly-tipping problem.

Addressing Parish Councillors during Enderby Parish Council’s May 11th meeting, Blaby District Councillor Guy Jackson said that the introduction of charges earlier this month for processing certain types of non-household waste may encourage unscrupulous individuals to illegally ‘fly-tip’ waste items within the Parish.

Enderby is not alone in suffering incidents of fly-tipping in recent times and apart from causing a blight on the environment the practice has implications for health and safety.

Fly-tipping also costs the community in financial terms since, on publicly owned land, District Councils have powers to tackle fly-tipping.

This includes the cost of clearing up and disposing of fly-tipped materials and where applicable, investigation and prosecution of offenders. These actions have to be paid for and so there is a call on local taxpayers to foot the bill.

In the course of a single year this could mean several thousands of pounds of local Council taxpayer’s money being used to combat fly-tipping.

The District Council are working with the Neighbourhood Police and Environmental Agency to identify and combat this anti-social practice.

Enderby Parish Council has undertaken to publicise the issue of fly-tipping through its various online social media outlets and its newsletter publication, ‘Enderby Connection’.

Local authorities in England dealt with over 700,00 incidents of fly tipping in 2012/13, costing taxpayers over £36 million to remove.

Flytipping is:

Illegal – and clearing it up costs taxpayers’ money

Unsightly – flytipping is a sign of a neglected neighbourhood and is associated with increased levels of crime and fear of crime. It also discourages investment and new businesses from moving into the area.

Unsafe – dumped waste can consist of dangerous items such as syringes, asbestos and toxic waste. It can also attract rats, flies and other disease carrying pests

It is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to flytip any material, it carries a fine upon conviction of up to £50,000 or one year imprisonment.

Fly-tipping is often associated with dumping waste from vehicles. In this case, the person controlling the use of the vehicle, normally the registered keeper, can also be prosecuted.

This means that it is possible for a prosecution to occur when only the vehicle, not the driver, is identifiable.

Report it!

Enderby Parish Council are encouraging residents to report incidents of fly-tipping where they encounter them …..take the registration number and if possible vehicle make. Stills or video footage is also useful in detection and securing conviction of offenders. It is, however, important not to place yourself in danger when attempting to photograph an alleged offence taking place.

Fly-tippers are doing something illegal, they don’t want to get caught.

Do not approach them.

Do not go near the rubbish until you are sure it is safe.

Do not touch anything.

If you spot someone fly-tipping, make a note of the following and contact the District Council with details of:-

the date, time and place where it happened

what the waste looks like and how much there is

a description of any vehicles involved and vehicle registration numbers if possible

a description of the person dumping the waste: height, age, male/female

Enderby residents can report fly-tipping by using the online form or call Blaby District Council on 0116 272 7555.

Anyone asking a third party to dispose of waste on their behalf should ensure they are using a Registered Waste Carrier. There is a responsibility to check this and ask to view the third party’s certificate.

Always get a receipt confirming what they have taken and where they have disposed of it and details of any payment made (details of registered waste carriers can be found on the Environment Agency website.

Vigilance can help rid our neighbourhood of this anti-social activity.